


Badge

by singingwithoutwords



Category: The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Blood, Ficlet, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-08 06:15:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4293921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singingwithoutwords/pseuds/singingwithoutwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Hulk is surprisingly eloquent, Clint is surprisingly insecure, and Bruce is a bit stupid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Badge

The temple is ancient.  Not ancient in the sense most people mean, either.  No, this temple isn’t hundreds or even thousands of years old.  It isn’t a temple built by human hands.  It predates humanity, tens or even hundreds of thousands of years old.  It has stood untouched through unthinkable eons, undisturbed while the very stars around it changed and died, and now it’s crumbling.

The Hulk doesn’t care how old and sacred this place is.  He pays no heed to the intricately carved stone walls or the delicate inlays of precious gems in the floor.  His steps vibrate through the cavern, shaking dust from the ceiling far overhead, cracking the patterns underfoot.  He doesn’t care about this place or what will be lost when it at last surrenders to its destruction- all he cares about is the altar.

The altar rises up in the center of the vast cavern, circular and has heavily carved and decorated as the rest of this place, and on it is the only thing to which Hulk pays any attention at all.

Cupid kneels in the center of the altar, head bowed.  He smells of blood and pain and fear and defeat, and he doesn’t move even as part of the altar cracks free and slides to the ground.  Hulk doesn’t care about the temple or the ritual or the world: he cares only about saving his Cupid.

Hulk reaches the altar and bends, hunching over Cupid, who only shivers.  There is blood on his back, bared to the temple’s cold, smeared from an array of carefully placed cuts, deep and sharp.

There is nothing to cover Cupid, to protect his wounds, and Hulk hesitates to touch, to cause more pain.  Cupid makes a soft noise in his throat and bows his head further, curling in on himself, though it stretches his back and new blood wells from the cuts where the scabs have begun to form and been pulled apart.

Hulk bends further as well, carefully lifting Cupid into his arms.  The ground shudders beneath him as he turns from the altar, ignoring the ruin of the once-magnificent temple as he hurries toward safety and sunlight and those who can keep Cupid alive.

Cupid lives.  Hulk knows this through the filter of Banner, and because when Hulk is next let out, Cupid is there.  Cupid smiles, brittle and tense and tells Hulk he’s fine.  Hulk goes away after the battle, confused and worried.

Hulk is let out again, and this time he refuses to go away until Cupid lets him see.  See his back, see the cuts that have healed to angry red scars, scars that will never go away.  Scars that mark his Cupid as property of some ancient god that Hulk has already smashed to pieces.

Hulk touches the scars carefully, brushing only his fingertips across them.  Cupid shivers and hunches inward, trying to make himself smaller.  Hulk smells fear on him, faint but there, and pulls him close, looking for enemies.

Cupid grunts, patting Hulk’s arm.  Hulk sees no one to fight, but Cupid still smells of fear.

“What’s wrong, Jade Jaws?” Cupid asks, trying to sound happy.

Hulk pulls him closer, still wary.  "Afraid,“ he says, touching Cupid’s cheek with his thumb.  Cupid looks down and away.  "Why?”

Cupid sighs and stares at the ground like he thinks it’s interesting.  "It’s… I’m sorry.“

"Why?”  Hulk presses.

“I can’t get rid of them,” Cupid says.  "I’ve tried.  Everything I can think of, anything, and I can’t get rid of them.  I’m sorry.“

Hulk isn’t stupid.  People think he is because he’s big and likes to smash, but he isn’t.  And even a stupid person can understand this.

Hulk settles his hand against Cupid’s back, over the scars that won’t go away.

"I’m sorry,” Cupid repeats.  He smells like tears now, and sharp unpleasant sorrow.  "I know they’re- Bruce won’t even look at ‘em.“

Hulk huffs.  "Banner is stupid,” he says.  He knows that Banner loves Cupid just as much as Hulk does, and he knows Banner probably has stupid reasons for being stupid that he thinks are smart, because Banner thinks about things too much.  "Cupid is beautiful.“

Cupid jumps a little and looks up at Hulk.  His eyes are wet.

"Cupid beat a god,” Hulk reminds him.  "Cupid didn’t give up.  Cupid is strong.  Cupid is beautiful.  Banner is stupid.“

Cupid just stares at Hulk, and his eyes get even wetter.  He still smells like tears, but not sorrow anymore.  Now he smells like hope.

"Cupid beat a god.  Cupid has a badge for it.”

Cupid laughs like he can’t believe Hulk, wiping at his face.

“Hulk will go now,” Hulk says, letting Cupid go.  "Tell Banner Hulk said Banner is stupid.“

Cupid nods.  "I will,” he promises, all hope and happiness and relief under his tears and dirt.  Cupid is smart, and Banner can be smart sometimes.  And if the next time Hulk comes out Cupid is still sad, Hulk will just remind him again.

Hulk closes his eyes and goes away.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt over on tumblr. I'm pretty much begging for prompts right now, so if you want to glance at [the prompt list](http://singingwithoutwords.tumblr.com/post/123482191763/send-me-a-character-ship-and-up-to-4-numbers-and) and my [ships list](http://singingwithoutwords.tumblr.com/ships) and toss a prompt or two my way, that would be awesome.


End file.
